UnCowVentional

A cow drinking from a sprinkler head

UnCowVentional

I live in a desert so in order to keep my outside plants alive it is critical to have an irrigation system to give them water regularly.  People I know in other climates are generally surprised to know that irrigation systems are a needed part of life here.  They’re like all of us.  It’s real easy to get used to what you know and do the same things the other people around you do time and time again.  We all do it!  Sometimes, though, taking a different path can turn a regular life into an extraordinary life!

“Extraordinary! Look out there!” my wife said to me not long ago as we stood in our kitchen.  “That Steer is drinking out of the sprinklers just like our dog!  Have you ever seen a cow do that before?”

“No,” I said, as I looked out toward our South Field.

“He’s been doing it all day.  He’ll get a drink and then walk a little ways away to let the water spray him.”  She continued.

“He’s unconventional, that’s for sure.”  I said.

It reminded me of a conversation with one of my daughters earlier in the week.  She was telling me about her workweek and the amazing people she’d been working with when she made a most illuminating comment.

“When I think back about what I did to get here it’s amazing!” She mused.  “I didn’t know I was supposed to be afraid to venture out on my own, across the continent, and start anew in the greatest city in the world.  Had I known that, I would never have come here to establish my business.  All I knew was that this is where I wanted to be.  I knew it the first time I came here with you!  It’s made all the difference for me!”

She took a path that most others view as unconventional and she’s living with the rewards of such a life.  She loves her work, has built a successful business and is surrounded by some of the world’s most interesting people while she’s paid.  Not bad for a “girl just off the farm.”  She’s discovered: what is unconventional for one person is conventional or can become conventional for another.

My dog has always thought it conventional to drink directly from a hose or a sprinkler.  And, while I’ve never had a cow think so before, now I have one that does!  As a result, on most days, he doesn’t need to walk acre after acre to get a drink from a watering trough.   He simply walks a little bit, puts his mouth down and gets cool, fresh water, conveniently.  Then he lets the water spray him so he can cool the rest of his body.  He lives a great life!

All of us can live a greater life; one full of wonder and success if we’ll simply change things up a bit.  Try something that is conventional for someone else.  Size it up and see if it fits.  If it does, it will make your life just that much better.  Allow yourself to do the UnCowVentional everyday and see if it makes a difference.